ABSTRACT
Toxic diffuse goiter (TDG), commonly referred to as Graves’ disease in Englishspeaking countries or as Basedow’s disease in most non-English-speaking European countries, is the underlying cause of most cases of hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is the consequence of circulating IgG antibodies directed against the thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TSHR) mimicking the effects of TSH. TSHR activation induces a diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland and an increase in thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) secretion.
